# George Sewell

George Sewell (31 August 1924 – 2 April 2007) was an English actor, best known for his television roles, but also active on stage and in films.

## Early life and early career

The son of a Hoxton printer and a florist, Sewell left school at the age of 14 and worked briefly in the printing trade before switching to building work, specifically the repair of bomb-damaged houses. He then trained as a Royal Air Force pilot, though too late to see action during the Second World War.
Following his demob, Sewell joined the Merchant Navy. He worked for the Cunard Line as an oil trimmer in the engine rooms of the RMS Queen Mary and RMS Queen Elizabeth during their Atlantic crossings to New York. He worked as a street photographer, assisted a French roller-skating team, and was drummer and assistant road manager of a rumba band. He also travelled Europe as a motor coach courier for a holiday company.

## Acting career
### Theatre

Sewell had not considered acting until, aged 35, he met the actor Dudley Sutton by chance in a pub. Sutton recommended that Sewell audition for a production by Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop of Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be. Sewell made his acting debut as a policeman in the show both at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East and in the West End. He went on to star in two other Littlewood productions, Sparrers Can't Sing (1962) and as Field Marshal Haig in Oh! What a Lovely War (1963), which later opened in Paris and on Broadway.

### Television

For many years, Sewell was the gritty face of crime and law enforcement in a huge array of television series. Amongst his early roles, he was the tallyman in the television play Up The Junction (1965), a criminal who runs off with a teenage girl in Softly, Softly (1966), a hard-nosed building engineer in The Power Game (1965–66), a cowardly informer in Man in a Suitcase (1967), and a seedy private eye in Spindoe (1968). In 1969 he played escaped convict Jansen in the Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) episode "Vendetta for a dead man". In 1970, he played Colonel Alec Freeman in Gerry Anderson's live-action science-fiction drama UFO. Also in 1970 he played resistance leader Pierre Allard in three episodes of the ITV series Manhunt – 14 (One Way Home), 17 (The Ugly Side of War) and 22, (Intent to Steal) which were filmed in 1969 and aired in January 1970. He appeared in a 1971 episode of Public Eye (Come into The Garden, Rose) as Harry Brierly.
In 1973, Euston Films re-invigorated the TV series Special Branch, formerly a videotaped series starring Derren Nesbitt. Sewell was brought in to play lead character DCI Alan Craven. The show ran for two seasons with Sewell, and served as a stylistic forerunner of crime drama The Sweeney (in which Sewell also appeared, this time as a villain). Sewell parodied this role as Supt Frank Cottam in the Jasper Carrott/Robert Powell comedy, The Detectives.
He played a Detective Baker who turned out to be a burglar in the Rising Damp episode The Prowler.
He played Ray Walker in Heartbeat (series 9 episode 20).

### Later roles

Later television appearances include Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979), in which he played Mendel, and the Doctor Who story Remembrance of the Daleks (1988), in which he played builder's merchant and fascist leader Ratcliffe. He appeared frequently in films, notably This Sporting Life (1963), Poor Cow (1967) and Get Carter (1971).
He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1973 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews while filming scenes for the TV series Special Branch.

## Personal life and death

His brother, Danny Sewell, a former boxer, also became an actor. George Sewell died from cancer on 2 April 2007 at the age of 82.

## Filmography
### Film

Film :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1963 | This Sporting Life | Jeff | |
| 1963 | Sparrows Can't Sing | Bert | |
| 1963 | A Place to Go | Market Trader | Uncredited. |
| 1963 | The Informers | Fred Hill | |
| 1966 | Kaleidoscope | Billy | |
| 1967 | Deadlier Than the Male | Car Park Assassin | Uncredited. |
| 1967 | Robbery | Ben | |
| 1967 | Poor Cow | Customer in Pub | Scenes deleted. |
| 1968 | The Vengeance of She | Harry | |
| 1969 | The Haunted House of Horror | Bob Kellett | |
| 1969 | Doppelgänger | Mark Neuman | |
| 1971 | Get Carter | Con McCarty | |
| 1973 | Diamonds on Wheels | Henry Stewart | |
| 1973 | UFO - Allarme rosso... attacco alla Terra! | Col. Alec E. Freeman | Italian-language series UFO compilation film. |
| 1973 | Kill Straker, a Question of Priorities | Col. Alec E. Freeman | UFO compilation film, known in the Italian-language series as "UFO - Distruggete Base Luna". |
| 1974 | UFO - Prendeteli vivi! | Col. Alec E. Freeman | Italian-language series UFO compilation film. |
| 1974 | UFO - Contatto Radar... stanno atterrando...! | Col. Alec E. Freeman | Italian-language series UFO compilation film. |
| 1974 | Invasion: UFO | Col. Alec E. Freeman | UFO compilation film, known in the Italian-language series as "UFO - Annientate SHADO... Uccidete Straker... Stop". |
| 1975 | Operation Daybreak | Heinz Panwitz, Chief Investigator | |
| 1975 | Barry Lyndon | Barry's Second | |
| 1979 | Running Blind | Slade | |
| 1979 | Winterspelt | Colonel | |
| 1981 | If You Go Down in the Woods Today | Knocker | |
| 1998 | Let's Stick Together | Carter | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1965-1967 | Z-Cars | Det. Insp. Brogan/Joe Carter/Harris | |
| 1969-1971 | Paul Temple | Sammy Carson | |
| 1969 | Public Eye | Jakeman | episode: Welcome to Brighton? |
| 1969 | The Expert | Louis Scammell | episode: Protection (with Danny Sewell as Teddy Scammell |
| 1970 | Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) | Eric Jansen | episode: Vendetta for a Dead Man |
| 1970 | Manhunt | Pierre Allard | |
| 1970 | UFO | Col. Alec Freeman | |
| 1971 | Public Eye | Harry Brierly | |
| 1972 | Home and Away | Winslow Scott | |
| 1973-1974 | Special Branch | Det. Chief Insp. Alan Craven | |
| 1975 | Rising Damp | Baker | "The Prowler", 10 January 1975 |
| 1978 | The Sweeney | Vic Tolman | "Bait", 19 October 1978 |
| 1979 | Running Blind | Slade | |
| 1979 | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy | Mendel | |
| 1980 | The Gentle Touch | Dave Connally | |
| 1981 | Minder | Frank | episode: Rembrandt Doesn't Live Here Any More |
| 1982-1983 | Andy Robson | Peter Mueller | |
| 1984 | Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense | Det. Inspector Grant | episode: Mark of the Devil |
| 1987-1990 | Home James! | Robert Palmer | |
| 1988 | Doctor Who | Ratcliffe | Remembrance of the Daleks |
| 1993-1997 | The Detectives | Superintendent Cottam | |
| 2000 | Heartbeat | Ray Walker | |